


To Survive In This Place

by Kwizkid, TrashRat (Kwizkid)



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Eddie is a dick, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Reader has a really shitty partner, Reader is a cop, Slow Burn, probably gonna bump the rating up later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:35:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26422006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kwizkid/pseuds/Kwizkid, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kwizkid/pseuds/TrashRat
Summary: Being a cop in Gotham is like asking to die, but you want things to be better. You want the GCPD to be better. Things don't seem to be going your way, though, especially after The Riddler takes a liking to you. Now you're facing active sabotage, and it feels like you'll never be able to make a real change. Maybe it's time to give in to the underbelly.
Relationships: Edward Nygma/Reader, Riddler/Reader
Comments: 16
Kudos: 55





	1. Time For A Change

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I stayed up all night writing this first chapter so I really hope you like it. I know that Eddie doesn't show up til the very end of the chapter, but I promise that you'll get more as time goes on!

The mess you were accustomed to at your desk had been gone when you returned to the precinct, not a single empty mug or stray paper left. For a moment, your mind wandered to the possibility of your job being at risk and you let out a nervous chuckle as you sat down. That fear was snuffed out the moment that you saw the note sitting on your keyboard, picking it up and flipping it open. 

‘Try to keep your things organized, here’s a fresh start.’ 

You recognized Montoya’s handwriting, rolling your eyes and crumpling the paper in your hands. You tossed it into your wastebasket, turning on your monitor and getting to work. At the beginning of your career in Gotham’s Police Department, you had been bright and eager to excel. Now, you simply came and went each day, just hoping that some maniac would decide not to break in and try to kill everyone inside the precinct. It was a rather anxious way to live, and if you could have turned back the clock to give your younger self a good talking to about staying the hell away from law enforcement, you would do it in an instant. On top of the near daily risk of dying, there were constant issues with corruption and backstabbing amongst the officers. Even some of the higher ups were in Cobblepot or Sionis’ pockets. 

Officers that had genuine motives were few and far between, and being on the side of justice proved to be exhausting. You were always wondering who would turn around to betray you. You were lost in thought when someone snapped their fingers near your ear. 

“Hey, are you alright?” You turned suddenly, looking up to see your partner with her brow raised. She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head.

“Zoning out again? Jesus, kid. You really need to get something done when you come in. What’re the people paying you for?” She grinned cheekily.

“Yeah, yeah,” You sighed, running a hand back through your hair before standing up from your chair. “I s’pose we’re going out, then? What is it this time, Mulcahey?” 

“Just patrol. End of the month and all.” She tutted, and you felt a little stupid. Rebecca made a constant point to make you feel like you had no idea how to do your job. You swore that she must have been telling Gordon you were incompitent or something to hold you down. It would definitely explain why you hadn’t moved up since you’d joined the force. You followed her out and to the car, proceeding to patrol the streets to give out tickets and watch out for petty crimes. You both knew better than to get involved with anything too suspicious. At the end of the day, it was better to turn a blind eye and walk away alive. You didn’t feel good about it, but that was how you survived in a place like Gotham… Especially as a cop. 

“You uh… You ever think about quitting? Moving to a different city, even?” You asked, taking a sip of your coffee. You felt ashamed from the moment the words left your mouth, especially after Rebecca gave you a sharp, disapproving look from the corner of her eye.

“Wow, real heroic.” She said plainly, turning a corner and parking the car in front of a movie theater and killing the engine. 

“Maybe get your priorities in order.” She was getting out of the car before you could say anything in response. You took a moment to stare at the glovebox, sucking in a breath and getting out. 

“Who pissed in your cereal this morning, Beck?” You hissed, slamming the door shut and walking with her. You had nothing spectacular to say about Rebecca. In fact, you had very little to say about her that was actually positive… But there was no reason to go about badmouthing your partner. You were stuck with her until you got the balls to complain to Gordon about it. Though, after the day you were having, you couldn’t say that you weren’t really thinking about it. She promptly gave you the finger, and you huffed, keeping your distance. You immediately regretted doing such when she rounded the corner and you took a few minutes more to follow. When you turned that same corner, she was absolutely nowhere to be seen. Confused, you looked around to see if she had crossed the street.

You finally spotted her, yelling at some kid. You furrowed your brows, walking over quickly as she roughly grabbed the kids arm, tight enough to force his hand to open. You were fast to grab her by the shoulder.

“You don’t grab kids like that, let go.” You hissed, tightening your grip on her as she let go, pulling her back and away from the now crying child.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Mulcahey?” You shoved her back, kneeling near the child to let him know that you weren’t going to hurt him. You saw the crumpled bill on the floor, nearly seeing red. She had hurt this child over five dollars. Thankfully, he let you check his wrist to make sure it was okay. He told you through his tears that he didn’t steal the money and had just found it on the street. You ruffled his hair and told him it was okay if he kept it before standing and watching Mulcahey walk back around the corner back to the car. 

The drive back to the station was oppressively silent. It was no use screaming at her when she was driving and endangering you both, but you had definitely made up your mind about what you would be doing about your situation.

The moment that you stepped foot into the precinct, you made a beeline to Gordon’s office, rapping on the frosted glass on the door. You heard a muffled grunt of approval to enter, and you opened the door, stepping in and shutting it behind you.

“Commissioner, I… I would like to make a request.” You sighed, figuring that it wasn’t helpful to beat around the bush. He raised a brow at you, and you smiled sadly. 

“I find that I am no longer able to see eye-to-eye with Officer Mulcahey. Her methods are too aggressive, and I can’t sit by as her partner and watch any longer. I need to work with someone else, or I can’t say that I can see myself staying in this place for much longer.” You said simply. He blinked at you for a moment, opening his mouth as if to say something before closing it. He seemed to be thinking for a moment before sighing and nodding his head. 

“I see… Well… If that’s the case, we will have to get you a new partner. I apologize for any issues you’ve been facing.” He folded his hands on the surface of his desk. “We’re going to have to do a bit of paperwork, but I can have the two of you separated by tomorrow morning.” 

“Thank you, sir.” You nodded in understanding, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from your shoulders. You were dismissed, walking out of the office and… Right into a ruckus.

You could hear noise, struggling and cursing as officers ran to restrain someone who was protesting rather loudly.

“You will not treat me in such a manner! How dare you!” A man’s voice rang out rather shrilly as the figure was shoved to the floor. You recognized him immediately, the full green suit, the flash of red hair as a bowler hat rolled off his head and onto the floor next to his face. Someone had gotten very lucky and managed to catch the Riddler.


	2. Absolutely Uncalled For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’re starting to really rethink your choice in profession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Finally got a chance to upload as promised. I didn’t expect the first chapter to gain any traction, but a couple of y’all asked for more, so you get it! Kudos and comments are ALWAYS appreciated! Thank you for the support!

You could feel someone’s eyes burning a hole in the back of your head from the moment you sat down in your chair, and it wasn’t much of a mystery as to who that stare belonged to. Having a desk so close to the holding cells wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was another case of your incredibly bad luck. 

“What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?” A voice came from behind you, and you tried your best not to pay attention. After a few moments of logging into your computer and getting started on more thrilling paperwork, there came the sound of someone clearing their throat. You rolled your eyes, still not looking back. 

“I said, what belongs to you-“

“I heard you the first time.” You cut him off with a sigh, turning your body slightly to prop your elbow on the back of the chair. You were met with those brilliant green hues again, and the owner looked a little ruffled at your interruption. 

“Well then, you could have the manners to humor me, officer.” The redhead scoffed, tapping his gloved fingers on one of the cell bars impatiently. You almost gave him a scoff in return, narrowing your eyes at him for a moment. 

“Your name,” You answered begrudgingly. “And if that’s what you want, you aren’t getting it.” You added pointedly, turning back towards the screen of your computer. 

“Charming, really... Considering it is on your plaque.” You hit a key rather harshly upon hearing your surname leave his mouth. Great, juuuuust great.

“Why are you so interested in me, huh? Nothing better to do while you wait to get your ass thrown back into the looney bin?” You grumbled, hunching your shoulders.

He seemed to bite his tongue for a while, and you felt a little less tense without the taunting from behind you. It seemed you had hit a sore subject for the ginger, and you silently praised yourself for the small victory. That was until you heard the chuckling. 

“You’re snappy, officer. I like that.” He hummed, tone shifting to that of delight. “You need a little work, but I think you have quite the potential.”

“Give it a rest, Nygma!” A passing officer barked, hitting the bars sharply with a baton. A string of wordy insults left the Riddler as the officer laughed and kept walking. You were sure you could feel the familiar ebb of an oncoming migraine blossom behind your eyes as you tried very hard to keep working. 

After almost half an hour of putting up with the criminal behind you, help arrived from Arkham, and Edward Nygma was escorted out. However, that just wasn’t the end. As he was leaving, he turned his head, meeting your eyes for a very intense moment before he broke out in a smile. 

That smile was in your mind, the moment replaying over and over in your head like a broken record. There was something ominous about the interaction that you just couldn’t let go of, and it terrified you. Had you just become a target? If you had been seated just a little further away, would the Riddler have left you alone? If you had just stayed in Gordon’s office and pressed on, would things have turned out different? It was a shame that you would never know.

Finishing your day at work, you returned to your apartment feeling the migraine worsen. A shower, pain medication, and a large glass of water helped to lessen the pain. It was a ritual at that point, and as you laid in bed, you wondered if that was all you had. Wash, rinse and repeat... You took a moment to wonder if most people faced the same grueling regime before tossing that train of thought and turning in for the night. There was no use lamenting over something so unchangeable, after all. You tossed and turned all night, emerald eyes plaguing your subconscious mind. 

You woke up bright and early for your shift, only to realize that you had the day off. Letting out an irritated groan, you dug the heels of your palms into your closed eyes before getting up. You dug through your fridge in an attempt to find anything even vaguely edible before giving up and deciding to go across the street for some sort of sustenance. You popped on a decent looking set of clothes, leaving your apartment and traveling across the less than busy street to the deli. 

It was a relatively peaceful day for you, and you were thankful. Most of your life, especially as a police officer in Gotham, was hectic. You never really knew what could happen in a shift, and people tended to be untrustworthy when it came to the police in general. You could understand that, as many cops in your city ended up being dirty or violent. If someone wasn’t in the mob’s pocket, they were most likely just ruthless. You were trying every single day to do right by the force and your commissioner, but you didn’t want to work with anyone who didn’t care about the people. 

You were absolutely lost in thought about this, which wasn’t extremely out of the norm. You thought about quitting all the time, getting into a less polluted and more importantly less dangerous profession… But you lived in Gotham. It would take moving to a new city to find any safe jobs, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to leave town or the GCPD. They were both a part of you, and you wanted the city and the force to be better. You believed it was possible. 

Returning to your apartment, you spent the rest of your day in bed, watching movies and dozing off. You were almost asleep when your phone began to ring, the noise rousing you rudely back into consciousness. You picked up the call without looking at the number, letting out a very groggy hello. 

There was a static on the line for a moment before a male sounding chuckle warmed your ear. 

“I am flora, not fauna… What am I?” The voice questioned, rather smugly. You blinked a few times, still too sleepy to understand his words. 

“Excuse me?” You mumbled, wiping at your eyes. 

“I am foliage, not trees… What am I?” The voice carried on. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, irritated that you were being bothered at such an hour by some asshole. 

“I don’t care.” You muttered, hanging up. You curled up, closing your eyes as you began to drift off once more. You didn’t hear the soft creak of your bedroom door opening, but what did rouse you was the cold metal of handcuffs around your wrists and the feeling of being shoved unceremoniously into the trunk of a car. 

“I ambush.”


	3. Under Lock and Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward is an asshole. No one is surprised by this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry for the wait! I know it’s been a long time, and that many of you have been waiting for a new chapter. I apologize in advance for the shortness, but I really will try to have another chapter done in a week or two.

There was a brand new headache blossoming behind your eyes when you came to, the sensation worsened considerably by the bright lights of the place you’d been brought to. It didn’t take more than a slight movement to realize that you were restrained. As soon as you looked down, it was visually confirmed, your arms and legs strapped snugly to the chair you’d been sat in. You tried to think of how you got there, but as you looked around, you were pretty damn sure as to where you had ended up. The obnoxious shades of green and the neatly organized air of the warehouse you were currently occupying could really only mean that you were in Riddler’s domain. 

You wanted to scream out of frustration, wiggling in your restraints as you looked around for some possible means of escape. You couldn’t think of a reason for your abduction. You hadn’t arrested Riddler, hadn’t stroked his ego… Was he going to use you as a test subject in one of his death-trap puzzles? You couldn’t think of a more public and humiliating way to die, with all of Gotham watching you struggle and fail. The thought sent a tremor up your spine. God, were you sweating? 

You heard a door open, your back straightening as your head whipped around to get a look at who was entering. Two women walked in with a bag of food, ignoring you entirely as they made their way to a table on the other side. When the food was taken out of the bag, one of them finally looked over at you. 

“You’re probably hungry.” It wasn’t a question, but she was right. You nodded your head wordlessly in response, and she made her way over. 

“We can’t untie you until Ed get’s back, but I can offer you this.” She held out a styrofoam cup. You leaned over as much as you could and took a long sip. It was just soda, but it made the dryness in your mouth go away. She took the cup after letting you drink around half, looking you over and then walking back to the table. 

They didn’t speak to you any more after that, so you kept silent. There was no reason to break the silence, as you figured that you would only be making your situation worse. After what seemed like hours, you finally heard the door opening again. You didn’t have to look over to know who it was. 

“Query, Echo, I thought I told you to wait until I came back.” His voice rang in your ears, impatient and… Almost pouty. You wanted to scoff, but kept quiet. You didn’t need to meet an untimely demise because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut. He brushed past you, walking over to the table. You swore the dark haired woman rolled her eyes. 

“We were hungry, Ed.” She said simply. “You left us alone, we were sure she’d stay unconscious long enough for us to get back with the food.” The girl next to her piped up, crossing her arms and leaning against the table. 

“Fine, forget it. She’s still here.” He turned his attention to you, walking over. “Good morning, officer.” He gave you a charming smile, leaning in close to your face. You attempted to move your head back to get further away, but you couldn’t exactly move too far. 

“I hope that you aren’t too uncomfortable.” He said smugly, reaching out and grasping your chin between his thumb and index finger. You tried again to jerk your head away to no avail and he let out a low laugh. 

“Why am I here?” You squinted up at him angrily. He let out another laugh, letting go of your face and standing up straight. He smoothed out his suit, turning away from you. 

“Well you see… I think that it would be interesting to see what would happen if I showed the Gotham Police that I mean business.” He turned his head a little to look at you out of the corner of his eye. 

“What… What does that mean? What the hell… Are you going to do to me?” Your eyes widened, and you balled up your fists. Your stomach churned at what could possibly become of you, and you swallowed back the bile rising in your throat. He seemed to notice, a flash of some unrecognizable emotion glinting in his eyes. He turned away from you, hands clasped in proper fashion behind his back. 

“I assumed that an officer may have more backbone than this, how droll.” He turned to look at you once more. The glint had seemingly passed, replaced with what could only be described as abject boredom. Something about that made you… Upset. As if your presence had somehow lost it’s entertainment value for him. You clenched your jaw and looked at the floor to avoid those bright, mocking eyes. You didn’t even grace his statement with a comeback, as if there would have been anything you could have said to outsmart or humiliate him. 

He seemed to take that as an answer in and of itself, walking to the table and addressing his associates once again. 

“Well ladies, I think our guest could use a meal. I have business to attend to, I will return promptly.” He walked out with a simple wave of his hand, the door shutting behind him. His compatriots turned to you once more, one moving over and untying you from the chair. 

Before you could think to try anything, she had already pushed you towards the table, pushing you down into another, more comfortable seat. 

“We don’t have to tie you down again if you cooperate, kitten.” She placed a stern hand on your shoulder in warning. It didn’t take any more than that to convince you to stay perfectly still and eat in absolute silence. Your stomach seemed to settle after your meager meal, and you were almost grateful… Well as grateful as anyone in the middle of a hostage situation could possibly be. 

After finishing your portion of greasy food, you were once again hoisted up and guided away from the table. The darker haired woman took you down a hall into a new room. It was… Oddly normal, like any bedroom would look. It had a bed, table… Even a small bathroom attached to it. There were, however, no windows to be found. No real point of escape that wasn’t the door, which had a heavy lock on the outside. 

“I’m afraid this is where you’ll be staying, for the time being.” She hummed, not sounding at all apologetic. You really wouldn’t have expected it anyways, though. She pushed you gently in and shut the door behind you, and you heard the lock turn, sealing you in your well furnished prison cell.


End file.
